Jan 31, 2026 Okia Reserve
A short drive across a narrow section of the Otago Peninsula brought us to Okia Reserve, which we visited on Feb 16, 2023! We explored the reserve more thoroughly this time! We hiked the farm road into the Reserve between 2 ‘pyramids’ of volcanic columnar basalt, like the volcanic rock around Bend!
Looking back at the ‘pyramids’ as we continue on to Victory Beach.
The Pacific Ocean! We saw one lone sea lion basking on a bed of kelp in the sand. We thought it might be dead, but it lazily scooped sand onto it’s belly, to cool off maybe?
Returning to the pyramids on the loop trail, we climbed up the little pyramid to get great views. The cliffsides in the distance are home to the last remnants of the native forest on the peninsula. The area is a reserve in order to protect the yellow-eyed penguin, one of the rarest penguins, with less than 7,000 left. They nest in the dunes along the beach, but fewer pairs return each year. We did not encounter any penguins.